The Miami Dolphins added some depth to their defensive line on Thursday in the form of a former first-round pick.
The team announced that it has agreed to terms with former Cardinals defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche, who was selected with the 29th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Of course, there's a reason the Cardinals let Nkemdiche go and that's because he was basically a draft bust in Arizona.
The defensive lineman struggled so much during his three years with the team that the Cardinals didn't even bother to pick up his fifth-year option. As a matter of fact, the Cardinals didn't even keep him around for the fourth year of his rookie deal. The Cards decided to cut Nkemdiche in late July after he showed up to training camp out of shape, which didn't sit well with new coach Kliff Kingsbury.
"Not in shape, I guess," Kingsbury said at the time. "And that's kind of where we'll leave it. I mean, he's on PUP and he's working through that."
Nkemdiche has battled multiple injuries during his career, which has caused him to miss 21 games over three seasons. One of Nkemdiche's most serious injuries happened last season, when he tore his ACL during a Week 14 loss to the Lions. That injury led the Cardinals to place him on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list to start training camp, and he'll be on that same list with the Dolphins once he arrives in Miami. Nkemdiche racked up 4.5 sacks in three seasons with the Cardinals with each one of those sacks coming last season.
Although Nkemdiche hasn't lived up to the expectations that come with being a first round pick, he definitely has a chance to revive his career in Miami. With the losses of Cameron Wake, Jordan Phillips and Robert Quinn, the Dolphins defensive line took a major hit during the offseason, which means Nkemdiche might be able to earn some playing time if he can get healthy and turn his full focus to football.
